Compagnie du Cercle

The Compagnie du Cercle was created in 1980 by Abbi Patrix and is composed of storytellers and musicians. It is in residence at Anis Gras, le Lieu de l'Autre in Arcueil, just outside Paris. The company’s work is based on repertory, a crossing of disciplines, collecting stories, and collective creativity, always at the service of a renewed art form: storytelling.

The territory, an extraordinary area for the emergence of contemporary storytelling
The company’s repertory is made up of a lively and diverse fund of stories that becomes more enriched as the productions come into existence. It has over the years created more than 25 different performances. More specifically, the company, through its residency programmes, travels across the Region Ile-de-France, collecting life-stories and urban tales, using the words and language of today, thus building up a repertory rich in stories and legends inspired by the territory and its inhabitants.

The crossover of disciplines
The company invites artists from other disciplines such as choreographers, composers, musicians, actors and visual artists to share the adventure of its original creations, where all kinds of different confrontation have been experimented. Research sessions on the link between storytelling and music are organised on a regular basis.

Companionship
The company has worked with two young storytellers and musicians, Delphine Noly and Marien Tillet, accompanying them in the production and distribution of their creation projects. These two artists, who are still exploring their art(s), in search of a close dialogue between storytelling and music, were chosen by Abbi Patrix to start a new collaboration of transmission and artistic exchange. The company has also accompanied the work of an emerging company from La Reunion, the Compagnie Baba Sifon and is currently working on a new companionship in France with Caktus Company for the three coming years.